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ELTI – Romano Prodi chaired the first Plenary Meeting of the High-Level Task-Force on Social Infrastructure

Launched by the European Association of Long-Term Investors (ELTI) chaired by Laurent Zylberberg, the High-Level Task Force on Social Infrastructure (“HLTF SI”) held its first plenary meeting in Brussels on February 13th under the chairmanship of Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission and Christian Sautter former French Minister of Economy, Finances and Industry.

The “HLTF SI” will publish recommendations by the end of the year to promote the financing of social infrastructure (health, education, social housing…). More than 20 experts will provide input to the Task Force organised in two working groups. They will focus on “the investment needs in social infrastructure” and the “availability and gaps on long-term financing to support investment in this area”.

Infrastructure is essential to economic productivity and to the functioning of societies and is a crucial prerequisite for economic growth. Among them, social infrastructure, particularly those linked to the health, education and social housing sectors, contribute to improving the living conditions of European citizens but also to the competitiveness of the territories. However, this type of infrastructure, even when demand is growing, is faced with an insufficient supply of financing (knowledge economy, aging population, changes in the real estate market, etc.).

At the end of the meeting, the President of the European Long-Term Investors Association Laurent Zylberberg declared: “The High-Level Task-Force on Social Infrastructure maximizing public value is an ambitious process carried out within the framework of the ELTI association with the support of its members including Caisse des Dépôts Group, Cassa Depositi e prestiti, KFW, its associate members Council of Europe Development Bank, LTIIA and its permanent guest the European Investment Bank. The involvement of Romano Prodi, Christian Sautter, the National Promotional Banks and Institutions, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and of the most relevant stakeholders in this Task Force are both a guarantee for success and a sign of the relevance of this initiative. The Task-Force will propose, by the end of the year, recommendations that we hope to be both innovative and achievable.